tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-46325501193963112832018-03-05T09:32:31.916-08:00InformaticsNews, Articles about Information TechnologiesMesthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14611097552301620519noreply@blogger.comBlogger25125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4632550119396311283.post-65882275252736571062011-06-15T18:33:00.000-07:002011-06-15T18:33:51.883-07:00LulzSec Hacks CIA's Public Site<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_hkOZxY_5BM/Te1LO8vq1OI/AAAAAAAACqs/oy0mu_OrQ2M/s1600/Lulzsec-hackers-390x280.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="286" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_hkOZxY_5BM/Te1LO8vq1OI/AAAAAAAACqs/oy0mu_OrQ2M/s400/Lulzsec-hackers-390x280.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />&nbsp;Group's attack continue to grow more flagrant, as do its detractors.<br /><br /><a name='more'></a><br />At around 6 p.m. Wednesday night after a busy day of distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks some "31337" 2005-era "/b/tards" posted a microblog to Twitter. But these weren't just any "/b/tards"; these were the most infamous hackers of the year -- LulzSec.<br /><br />And they didn't just post any old message. They typed:<br /><br />Tango down - <a href="http://cia.gov/">cia.gov</a> - for the lulz.<br />Indeed the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency's homepage was unreachable.Mesthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14611097552301620519noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4632550119396311283.post-14464887035885767292011-06-08T13:40:00.000-07:002011-06-08T13:40:00.850-07:00Guide for Checking your IPv6 readiness<div style="font-family: inherit;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-qstXNpvJavE/Te_dyytWj4I/AAAAAAAACq8/VLUaUIQumws/s1600/guide.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-qstXNpvJavE/Te_dyytWj4I/AAAAAAAACq8/VLUaUIQumws/s320/guide.jpg" width="275" /></a></div><m:smallfrac m:val="off"> <m:dispdef> <m:lmargin m:val="0"> <m:rmargin m:val="0"> <m:defjc m:val="centerGroup"> <m:wrapindent m:val="1440"> <m:intlim m:val="subSup"> <m:narylim m:val="undOvr"> </m:narylim></m:intlim> </m:wrapindent></m:defjc></m:rmargin></m:lmargin></m:dispdef></m:smallfrac><br /><div style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: inherit;"><m:smallfrac m:val="off"><m:dispdef><m:lmargin m:val="0"><m:rmargin m:val="0"><m:defjc m:val="centerGroup"><span style="font-size: small;">Below is a guide for home users and small business on how to check your devices and network for IPv6-readiness and what resources are out there for you:</span></m:defjc></m:rmargin></m:lmargin></m:dispdef></m:smallfrac></div><div style="font-family: inherit;"></div></div><div style="font-family: inherit;"><br /><a name='more'></a></div><div style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i><b>Use this quick IPv6 readiness test: </b></i>You can run a quick test to see if the device you are using is IPv6 enabled by clicking on this <a href="http://test-ipv6.com/">link to test ipv6.com</a>. It's especially helpful because it will tell you if your ISP is prepared as well. You can use the test results to communicate with your ISP about its plans for IPv6 conversion.</span></div><div style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i><b>Check your device: </b></i>Check to ensure networking devices such as switches and routers are IPv6 enabled. Much of the newer networking equipment out on the market can have IPv6 enabled by going into the device's management interface and in many instances, all that is required is checking a box. If you have older equipment, check the vendor's site, or contact the vendor to find out if there are any firmware updates for IPv6 compatibility for your device.</span></div><div style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Cisco Systems has a useful whitepaper for businesses and enterprises to prepare for IPv6 conversion on its </span> <span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://www.cisco.com/en/US/prod/collateral/iosswrel/ps6537/ps6553/whitepaper_c11-586154.html">Web site.</a> Here is some information extracted from that site which pertains mostly to smaller businesses: <br /><br /><i><b>There are three main areas a small business should focus on in preparing for IPv6:</b></i> email, web servers and Domain Name Servers (DNS). Many small businesses are using hosted services for all three. If that is the case with your small business, check with your hosting provider to ensure they are IPv6 ready. Many of the larger hosting providers are participating in testing today, so follow up with them to check their results. </span> <span style="font-size: small;"><b></b></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><b><br /></b></span><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: small;"> </span><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-size: small;">For businesses that locally host and manage their email, web servers and DNS: </span></b></div></div><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><br /><b><i>Adding native IPv6 to existing web servers:</i></b> Configure IPv6 on the Web server itself (Apache, Microsoft's IIS, and most other modern Web servers have supported IPv6 for several years) as well as on the load balancers. This is the clean and efficient way to do it, but some applications or scripts running on the Web servers may need some code change (notably if they use, manipulate, or store the remote IP address of their clients).</span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><br /><b><i>Adding IPv6 support to email:</i></b> The sending and receiving of email over the Internet occurs through Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP) atop TCP. Most popular Mail Transfer Agents (MTAs) are fully capable of using IPv6. However, some of the support functions now common in these servers are not yet present for IPv6. This includes blacklisting and reputation services notably used for antispam. When more traffic, and hence more spam, moves to IPv6, these tools can be expected to become available. Check with the vendor of any of the security tools you use in conjuction with your email platform about their plans for support.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><b><i>IPv6 information in DNS:</i></b> Add the IPv6 addresses of all public servers in the DNS database. This is simply done by adding specific Resource Records (RRs) with the IPv6 address (those records are called AAAA). Cisco also advises adding the reverse mapping of IPv6 addresses to Fully Qualified Domain Names (FQDNs). For dual-stack servers, there are two RRs per FQDN: one IPv4 address (type A) and one IPv6 address (type AAAA). For organizations using major DNS server implementations which include ISC BIND, Cisco Network Registrar and Microsoft DNS Server, rest assured, these systems have supported IPv6 for several years. <br /><br />If you run a small business network, check to ensure all applications and systems can run without incident during this global testing phase. Chances are, most small businesses and home users will not have many issues, although some sites on the Internet and some smaller ISPs may have some hiccups with the transitions. However, this testing and ferreting out potential problems is what World IPv6 day is all about, so use it your advantage.&nbsp;</span> </div>Mesthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14611097552301620519noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4632550119396311283.post-40164432312730303152011-06-08T07:27:00.000-07:002011-06-08T07:29:13.197-07:00Happy IPv6 Day!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-wSrfwlryLos/Te-GbsnA9_I/AAAAAAAACq4/JikhsRTA7gY/s1600/ipv6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-wSrfwlryLos/Te-GbsnA9_I/AAAAAAAACq4/JikhsRTA7gY/s320/ipv6.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /><span style="font-size: small;">Today, major technology players like Google, Facebook, Yahoo, YouTube, Cisco and <a href="http://www.worldipv6day.org/participants/">others</a> will take part in a 24-hour test flight of the next generation Internet protocol.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;"></span><br /><a name='more'></a><span style="font-size: small;">This exercise is to gauge how smooth or pain-riddled the transition from IPv4 to IPv6 will be.</span><span style="font-size: small;">&nbsp;</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;">When does the testing start? For those in New York, testing began on Tuesday, June 7 at 8pm and will end Wednesday, June 8 at 8pm. Everyone can check start and finish times in their local areas at </span> <span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://server2.test-ipv6.com/when.html">server2.test-ipv6.com.</a>&nbsp;</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;">Remember, IP addresses are unique numbers received by every device that connects to the Internet (or a private network), so that those devices can communicate with other devices on the same network. Websites and email domains (for instance, the @example.com part of an email address) also have associated IP addresses.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;">This addressing system is known as Internet Protocol and is currently at version 4; hence IPv4. We've been using IPv4 addresses since the early 1980s. There was a finite amount of IPv4 addresses available, however, and they have now been exhausted.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;">IPv4 uses a system of numbers, typically separated by decimals, that even casual users of the Internet would probably recognize (if you are unsure, check your computer or phone's network settings for numbers like "192.162.2.235").IPv4 had about 4.3 billion addresses, which ran out more rapidly once mobile devices with Internet connections became commonplace.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;">Now all new Internet addresses will use IPv6, a system that has more numbers and characters, and is said to have enough spots for 340 trillion, trillion, trillion unique IP addresses. Equipment that uses IPv6 has been in use since 1999. <br /><br />Although IPv6 has been available since the '90s, not many companies, ISPs, or other organizations have implemented it. Most are still on IPv4. That is changing, though, as governments, corporations, ISP, and MSOs (Multiple System Operators) map out their plans to transition. Of course, the likely scenario is that many networks will run both IPv4 and IPv6 in tandem (called dual-stacking) for a while until IPv6 becomes the standard.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;">Home users and small business owners should not have too much to worry about: chances are your ISP or the provider hosting your Web site or domain will ensure your transition to IPv6 is fairly seamless—it's the larger enterprises that have to be more proactive. No matter the size of your business, however, you should contact your ISP or Web-hosting service to find out what their plans are for IPv6.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;">While there should be no panic about the fact that the world has officially run out of IPv4 addresses, vigilance is a best practice, especially for small business owners. But even home users can take precautions to ensure that their home networks are ready for what is most likely to be a gradual transition.</span></div>Mesthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14611097552301620519noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4632550119396311283.post-59565215219922517572011-06-07T12:42:00.000-07:002011-06-07T13:12:20.410-07:00Nintendo Unveils Wii U<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-1EeyONUBUNs/Te5-XH4YDwI/AAAAAAAACq0/ADltPdpAaVM/s1600/new-nintendo-wii-e3-small.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-1EeyONUBUNs/Te5-XH4YDwI/AAAAAAAACq0/ADltPdpAaVM/s400/new-nintendo-wii-e3-small.png" width="335" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br /><div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;">Wii U, comes with a controller that features a touchscreen and camera.</span></div><div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div><a name='more'></a><div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;">The original Wii console was hugely popular but Nintendo has faced pressure from rivals with similar devices.</span></div><div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div><div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;">Nintendo hopes the new console will create a new genre of gaming.</span></div><div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div><div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;">Wii U will feature a set-top box similar to the first generation console.</span></div><div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div><div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;">But the 6.2-inch touchscreen controller comes with a front-facing camera as well as the more traditional buttons of a Wii remote and a motion detector.</span></div><div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div><div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;">It will broadcast high-definition video and can be used to make video calls and browse the web.</span></div><div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div><div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;">It will also allow users of games such as Wii Fit to weigh themselves and get a read-out via the controller rather than the TV.</span></div><div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div><div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;">Users can also swap game play between the big screen and the controller, for instance if someone else wants to watch TV.</span></div><div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div><div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;">Wii U is "an interesting new concept" thinks Dan Pearson, a staff writer at Gamesindustry.biz. </span></div><div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;">"It is a hybrid between a handheld with elements of tablet design but also has all the traditional controller elements," he said.</span></div><div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div><div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;">"Initially people may be confused by the controller but so were they when the first Wii was unveiled," he said. </span></div><div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;">Nintendo was also keen to show off the processing power of the new console.</span></div><div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div><div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;">"Nintendo has been under fire for chasing casual gamers and it is good to see them trying to win back core gamers," said Mr Pearson.</span></div><div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div><div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;">Wii U will work with older games and controllers and will be available from spring 2012.</span></div><div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div><div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;">There was no indication of the price of the new console.</span></div>Mesthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14611097552301620519noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4632550119396311283.post-1080072326362187042011-06-07T09:37:00.000-07:002011-06-07T09:39:19.983-07:00Sony Hacked Once More, Deja Vu All Over Again<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-d2Lcu48D70U/Te5TIQh_dyI/AAAAAAAACqw/HouzjDWffoY/s1600/LulzSec-Hack-Sony.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="272" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-d2Lcu48D70U/Te5TIQh_dyI/AAAAAAAACqw/HouzjDWffoY/s320/LulzSec-Hack-Sony.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Sony today suffered another security breach, adding to its problems as the company struggles to restore consumer confidence after a string of hacker attacks.</span></div><div style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"></span></div><div style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div><a name='more'></a><div style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"></span></div><div style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">The hacking group LulzSec posted 54-megabytes of what it says is developer source code to its website, along with exposing Sony BMG internal network maps.</span></div><div style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div><div style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Also, Sony Pictures Russia today suffered an apparently unrelated SQL injection attack, and a hacking group known as "The UnderTakers" claims it defaced Sony Music Brazil. Both sites are now offline. </span></div><div style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div><div style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">"Our latest goal is 'Hack Sony 5 Times', so please find enclosed our 5th Sony hack," wrote the hacking group on the Pirate Bay website.</span></div><div style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div><div style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">"Enjoy this 54MB collection of SVN Sony Developer source code. That's hackers 16, Sony 0. Your move!" </span></div><div style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div><div style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">After posting the BMG network maps LulzSec amended its goal, stating it now aims to attack Sony six times. </span></div><div style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div><div style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">The group is well on its way to achieving its ambitions. LulzSec claims responsibility for the recent SQL injection hack against Sony Pictures that compromised over 1 million user accounts and exposed 7,000 music codes and 3.5 million coupons. LulzSec says the data it exposed was unencrypted and easy to uncover.</span></div><div style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div><div style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Sony has now suffered over a dozen attacks since the initial and most massive breach, when unknown hackers compromised over 100 million user accounts from April 16 to 19. Since then, a series of smaller attacks have crippled the company's attempt to restore both its systems and consumer confidence.</span></div><div style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div><div style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">On May 5, anonymous hackers published old sweepstakes information, then stole $1,225 in online Sony game points eleven days later. On May 18, just as Sony was getting ready to restore its online systems after a month of outages, hackers targeted its password reset tool. Then from May 25 to 26, hackers compromised Sony sites in Greece, Canada, Indonesia and Thailand.</span></div><div style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div><div style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">While no one has claimed responsibility for the initial and most massive attack, several hacking groups including Anonymous, Idahc, The UnderTakers and LulzSec have openly declared their parts in the smaller hacks.</span></div><div style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div><div style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">It's still unclear exactly why hackers are ripping Sony apart. Anonymous says it initially perpetrated denial of service attacks against the company for suing one of its members, who had posted online instructions on how to root one's PS3.</span></div><div style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div><div style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Whatever the reason for its misfortune, Sony is paying for the legal and financial consequences. The company is neck-deep in lawsuits and investigations, plus having to testify before Congress and submitting to a subpoena. Sony is also offering free games and services to its angry customers, plus providing free credit card monitoring and insurance policies up to $1 million in case of identity theft.</span></div>Mesthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14611097552301620519noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4632550119396311283.post-24202477456549715052011-06-06T14:58:00.000-07:002011-06-06T15:06:13.161-07:00LulzSec Releases Sony Data<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_hkOZxY_5BM/Te1LO8vq1OI/AAAAAAAACqs/oy0mu_OrQ2M/s1600/Lulzsec-hackers-390x280.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="229" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_hkOZxY_5BM/Te1LO8vq1OI/AAAAAAAACqs/oy0mu_OrQ2M/s320/Lulzsec-hackers-390x280.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;">LulzSec on Thursday posted information it took from Sony Entertainment and Sony BMG on its site, the LulzBoat.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><a name='more'></a><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;">The information includes about a million usernames and passwords of customers in the U.S., Netherlands and Belgium and is available for download.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;">A release posted on LulzSec’s page said the group has more, but can’t copy all of the information it stole. The group also said none of the information it took from Sony was encrypted.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;">“Our goal here is not to come across as master hackers, hence what we’re about to reveal: SonyPictures.com was owned by a very simple SQL injection, one of the most primitive and common vulnerabilities, as we should all know by now,” the group wrote.&nbsp;</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;">“From a single injection, we accessed EVERYTHING. Why do you put such faith in a company that allows itself to become open to these simple attacks?”</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;">“This is disgraceful and insecure,” the group said. “They were asking for it.”&nbsp;</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;">LulzSec is not believed to be involved in the Sony breaches that resulted in 77 million user accounts being compromised in April, and the group has denied that it has ever attacked the PlayStation Network.&nbsp;</span></div><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;">On Wednesday, Sony finally restored its PlayStation Store, which had been down for a month following the April cyberattack.</span></div>Mesthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14611097552301620519noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4632550119396311283.post-5397725803516392772011-06-05T08:46:00.000-07:002011-06-05T09:11:50.443-07:00“ZOMG” & “Twittersphere” Enter the Oxford Dictionary<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #474747; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;"></span></span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-xvz5GanKJOI/TeujIj_YKBI/AAAAAAAACqo/jFes8VjtwHk/s1600/zomg128499127461406250.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="288" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-xvz5GanKJOI/TeujIj_YKBI/AAAAAAAACqo/jFes8VjtwHk/s400/zomg128499127461406250.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #474747; font-size: 13px; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"></div><div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: justify;"><br /><span style="font-size: small;">As of this week, you’ll be able to justify the word “ZOMG” using the Oxford Dictionaries Online. Should you feel the need to alert the “Twittersphere”, you can spellcheck that, too.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: small;"> </span><br /><a name='more'></a><span style="font-size: small;">The two words are on a long list of new additions to the dictionary, many of which have origins in technology and social media.<br /><br />“The world of computers and social networking continues to be a major influence on the English language,” explains the online dictionary’s blog. (The Oxford Dictionary Online is affiliated with the OED, but they are not one and the same. The difference is explained here.)<br /><br />Other newly official words include “social graph,” “permalink,” “paperless,” “lifehack” and “lappy.”<br /><br />Dictionaries have been acknowledging emerging Internet vocabulary since 2004 or before. That year, “blog” made the top of Merriam Webster’s Word of the Year list. “Facebook” was Collins’s top word three years later, and i</span><span style="font-size: small;">n 2009, “unfriend” was the Oxford Dictionary’s top pick.</span></div>Mesthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14611097552301620519noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4632550119396311283.post-69641367164771255142011-06-02T07:59:00.000-07:002011-06-05T09:10:57.421-07:00Sony restores all PlayStation Network services<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-KNPgxOC6ie4/TeelC9-js_I/AAAAAAAACqk/gNj4It7zSCc/s1600/sony_logo_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-KNPgxOC6ie4/TeelC9-js_I/AAAAAAAACqk/gNj4It7zSCc/s400/sony_logo_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="font-family: inherit;"><br /><span style="font-size: small;">Sony has completed its restoration of the PlayStation Network and Qriocity music service after a data breach forced a shutdown in April.</span></div><div style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></div><a name='more'></a><br /><div style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Most notable is the return of the PlayStation Store, where players can download demos, videos and other content as well as purchase games.<br /><br />The official PlayStation blog has a very long list of content that has recently been added. Publisher Bethesda Softworks has also confirmed the second piece of DLC for Fallout: New Vegas, titled "Honest Hearts" is now available for PS3.<br />&nbsp;</span></div><div style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">The PlayStation Store went down with the rest of PSN on April 20, when Sony took down the services to battle a massive data breach exposing users' personal information.<br /><br />Last month, Sony launched an initial restoration of PSN, which brought back user access to accounts and online gameplay.<br /><br />However, prepare to wait a while to gain access to the PlayStation Store. Destructoid reports users may see error messages as Sony deals with the surge of traffic to the store.</span></div>Mesthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14611097552301620519noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4632550119396311283.post-88686568307414139552011-06-01T07:12:00.000-07:002011-06-05T09:03:02.571-07:00Intel's New Atom Processor to Lower Netbook Prices<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-k8H41QcSA34/TeZH7RjrqmI/AAAAAAAACqg/FoVF8KTRawo/s1600/intel_atom.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="295" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-k8H41QcSA34/TeZH7RjrqmI/AAAAAAAACqg/FoVF8KTRawo/s400/intel_atom.png" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;">Intel on Wednesday said it has introduced a new Atom processor to bring down the price of netbooks in emerging markets to under US$200, but the lower price may come at a performance penalty.<br /></span><br /><a name='more'></a><span style="font-size: small;"> The single-core Atom N435 runs at 1.33GHz and includes 512KB of cache, making it the slowest of second-generation N-series processors that go into most netbooks today. The next fastest chips are the Atom N450 and N455 chips, which run at 1.66GHz.<br /><br />Asus is using the new Atom N435 in its latest Eee PC X101, which is priced starting at $199. The laptop is being shown at the Computex trade show being held in Taipei.</span><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;">Netbooks are generally priced above $250. New netbooks using the N435 will provide "new levels of affordability for emerging markets," said Suzy Ramirez, an Intel spokeswoman, in an e-mail.<br /><br />The new chip has given a boost to Intel's Meego OS and AppUp application store, as a number of netbooks with the new chip have been announced with the Linux-based operating system. Acer's Aspire One Happy 2, Samsung's N100 and Lenovo's IdeaPad S100, all running the N435 and Meego, are being shown at Computex.<br /><br />Lower prices could also help draw renewed interest in netbooks, which are small and low-powered laptops for basic word processing and Internet surfing. After a phenomenal take-off in 2008, netbook shipments have stumbled in the last year, partly due to a growing interest in tablets.<br /><br />The fast tablet shipment growth is also hurting mainstream PCs, whose shipments are growing at slower than expected rates.&nbsp;</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;">In an attempt to counter tablets, Intel on Tuesday announced plans to put its chips in a new class of lighter and thinner laptops called "Ultrabooks," which will be 40 percent smaller than current mainstream laptops. Intel expects Ultrabooks to account for 40 percent of consumer laptop sales by the end of 2012.</span></div>Mesthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14611097552301620519noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4632550119396311283.post-42274095061700360642011-05-31T07:50:00.000-07:002011-06-05T09:12:38.235-07:00Apple unveiling iCloud, new software for Macs, iPhones next week<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-h4Xub5fSh9c/TeT_6RC_PNI/AAAAAAAACqc/03DA4oYZt-A/s1600/apple-logo2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-h4Xub5fSh9c/TeT_6RC_PNI/AAAAAAAACqc/03DA4oYZt-A/s320/apple-logo2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: justify;"><br /><span style="font-size: small;">Apple will reveal the first details on its long-rumored, cloud-based services at next week's Worldwide Developers Conference in San Francisco.</span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span><br /><a name='more'></a><span style="font-size: small;">In a statement released Tuesday, the company would only offer the name of the service: iCloud.<br /><br />According to a recent report from Bloomberg, iCloud would let users upload their music collections into "digital lockers" and then stream their songs to personal computers or to iPhones and iPads.<br /><br />The Bloomberg report also hints at a monthly subscription fee, although it doesn't list a specific price.<br /><br />During the WWDC keynote address, Apple will also unveil details on the next iteration of its Mac OS X software, called Lion, as well as iOS 5, the latest operating software for the iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch.<br /><br />The keynote address takes place on June 6 at 1 p.m. ET.</span></div>Mesthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14611097552301620519noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4632550119396311283.post-17532146849157361842011-05-30T12:44:00.000-07:002011-06-05T09:13:22.174-07:00Asus unveils "Padfone" tablet-smartphone device<div style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; color: black; overflow: hidden; text-align: left; text-decoration: none;"><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="KonaBody" style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-O-IzN8MTCz0/TePzHaMu47I/AAAAAAAACqY/8q7KbUkiHmk/s1600/asus-padfone-01-370x229.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-O-IzN8MTCz0/TePzHaMu47I/AAAAAAAACqY/8q7KbUkiHmk/s1600/asus-padfone-01-370x229.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-O-IzN8MTCz0/TePzHaMu47I/AAAAAAAACqY/8q7KbUkiHmk/s1600/asus-padfone-01-370x229.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div><br /><div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;">ASUS is looking for leadership of the mobile computing space at Computex on Monday with the launch of smartphone-tablet device the Padfone, as well as several other machines.</span></div><div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;"></span></div><a name='more'></a><br /><div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;">With a name and even a logo font which will surely encourage Apple lawyers to do what they do best, the Padfone is, as yet, a shop model, if what the firm showed off at its pre-Compuex press conference has to be believed.</span></div><div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div><div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;">As such, there's not much to go on from Asus other than the firm hopes to release it ‘soon', the device(s) are set to be powered by the latest version of Android, and the screens are about 10 and 4 inches respectively.</span></div><div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;">The firm also used its pre-show press conference to launch the oh-so-sleek Eee PC X101 netbook, which weighs in at an anorexic 950g and is just 17.6mm at its thickest point.</span></div><div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div><div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;">Interestingly for those who can't decide, the (starting at) $199 notebook truly can be all things to all men - as long as they aren't Android fans - as it comes in MeeGo Linux, Windows, HDD or SDD flavours.</span></div><div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div><div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;">Also announced were a slinky new UX Series with brushed metal and Intel second generation Core chips, some more Bang &amp; Olufsen designed N-Series machines with some serious sounds, and the Eee Pad MeMO has been given 3D functionality, presumably like the sister of an ugly bride at a wedding.</span></div><br /></div></div>Mesthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14611097552301620519noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4632550119396311283.post-47293443763278588812011-05-29T12:20:00.000-07:002011-06-05T09:06:19.658-07:00Sony May Know How Hacker Penetrated Online Networks<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px;"></span></span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-oDHAPdLZEso/TeKcKJlGqEI/AAAAAAAACqU/Lvvx9mPpYtY/s1600/playstation_network_hacked.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="355" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-oDHAPdLZEso/TeKcKJlGqEI/AAAAAAAACqU/Lvvx9mPpYtY/s400/playstation_network_hacked.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="background-color: transparent; border-width: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-weight: normal; line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0px; outline-width: 0px; padding: 10px 0px; text-align: justify; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-size: small;">Sony&nbsp;believes it knows how a hacker penetrated its online entertainment networks in an incident that exposed 100 million customer accounts, the company said in a letter to U.S. lawmakers released today.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; color: black; font-size: small; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 22px;">&nbsp;</span></span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; color: black; font-size: small; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 22px;"></span></span><br /><a name='more'></a><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; color: black; font-size: small; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 22px;">Sony declined to publicly disclose how the hacker gained access, saying the information might jeopardize an ongoing probe of the attacks and put other networks at risk, according to the May 26 letter to Representatives Mary Bono Mack, a California Republican, and G.K. Butterfield, a North Carolina Democrat.</span></span><br /><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; color: black; font-size: small; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 22px;">Sony still doesn’t know who was responsible for the intrusion or precisely how much information was taken, the company said in the letter responding to questions from Bono Mack and Butterfield. The hacker took steps to cover tracks in and out of the company’s servers and conceal what data was taken, Sony said.</span></span><br /><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; color: black; font-size: small; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 22px;">“These gaps in what we know are not for lack of trying by experts, but rather an unfortunate testament to the skill of those who perpetrated the attacks,”<span class="Apple-converted-space">&nbsp;</span>Kazuo Hirai, Sony’s executive deputy president in charge of consumer products, wrote. “Some aspects of the intrusion may never be known.”</span></span><br /><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; color: black; font-size: small; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 22px;">The incident at Tokyo-based Sony, which led the company to temporarily shut down its PlayStation gaming network, has sharpened U.S. government scrutiny of how companies protect consumer data and notify the public about cyber attacks.</span></span></div>Mesthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14611097552301620519noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4632550119396311283.post-56301362612217080622011-05-27T09:52:00.000-07:002011-06-05T09:14:56.629-07:00Sony confirms development of PlayStation 4<a href="http://www.xbitlabs.com/contact/Anton"></a> <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-b_oOxcXBBCs/Td8UgtWas8I/AAAAAAAACpU/aObzxUUCjwc/s1600/playstation-logo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="310" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-b_oOxcXBBCs/Td8UgtWas8I/AAAAAAAACpU/aObzxUUCjwc/s400/playstation-logo.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-KnKZAMfJ9c4/Td8TBJusCeI/AAAAAAAACpQ/YGdWpSWkxqM/s1600/playstation-logo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Sony Corp. has confirmed that it had initiated development of the next-generation PlayStation video game console.&nbsp;</span></span><div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><a name='more'></a><br /><div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;">At the same time, the company admitted that due to global economic crisis along with its own business problems, it would not invest the same amounts of money into the PlayStation 4 as it did in case of the PS3.<br /><br />"The PS3 still has product life, but this is a platform business. So for the future platform, when will we introduce it? What product? I cannot discuss that.&nbsp;</span></div><div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;">But development work is already underway," said Masaru Kato, chief financial officer of Sony, at a meeting with investors noting that part of the FY2012's (began on March 31, 2011) R&amp;D budget would be spent on the PS4.</span></div>Mesthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14611097552301620519noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4632550119396311283.post-18832104353136330082011-05-26T15:34:00.000-07:002011-05-29T12:28:31.288-07:00Hasselblad's 200-megapixel camera<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-8XWAc3uygaI/Td2-A6b6kYI/AAAAAAAACn4/ZJdb_a9Svt4/s1600/H4D-200MS_side-view-sm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-8XWAc3uygaI/Td2-A6b6kYI/AAAAAAAACn4/ZJdb_a9Svt4/s400/H4D-200MS_side-view-sm.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">The new top-end model from medium-format camera maker Hasselblad is now on the market, and it's not cheap: the 200-megapixel H4D-200MS will set you back 32,000 euros, or about $45,000. </div><div style="text-align: justify;">The camera actually uses a sensor with a mere 50 megapixels, but with Hasselblad's multishot technology combines six shots into one. That means moving subjects such as fashion models need not apply. But a lot of this very high-end photography involves static subjects such as jewelry, watches, cars, and paintings for reproduction.<br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Hasselblad announced the H4D-200MS last September at the Photokina show. At the time, the company said it hoped to release the camera in the first quarter.<br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The multishot technique isn't as crude as taking a bunch of shots and stitching them together. Instead, it works with a piezoelectric motor that moves the camera's image sensor a tiny amount before taking each photo. </div><div style="text-align: justify;">The six-shot extended multishot mode augments an earlier option, the four-shot multishot mode. The multihsot modes offset each frame by a half or a full pixel width, an approach that compensates for the fact that each sensor pixel captures only red, green, or blue light. The four-shot mode takes about 20 seconds for a full photo; the six-shot mode takes about 30 seconds. Yes, you need a tripod.&nbsp;</div><br /><div class="cnet-image-div image-REGULAR float-none" style="width: 592px;"><div style="text-align: justify;"></div></div><div class="cnet-image-div image-REGULAR float-none" style="width: 610px;"><div class="cnet-image-div image-REGULAR float-none" style="width: 610px;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Expensive luxury products are a core market for medium-format photography. " class="cnet-image" height="298" src="http://i.i.com.com/cnwk.1d/i/tim/2011/05/25/Hasselblad_Rolex_6shot.jpg" width="400" /> </div><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span><br /><div class="image-caption" style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Expensive luxury products are a core market for medium-format photography. Jonathan Beer took this shot with an H4D-200MS in its highest-resolution configuration.</i></span></div></div></div><div class="cnet-image-div image-REGULAR float-none" style="width: 610px;"><span class="image-credit">Credit: Hasselblad/Jonathan Beer</span> </div><div style="background-color: transparent; border: medium none; color: black; overflow: hidden; text-align: left; text-decoration: none;"><br /></div></div>Mesthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14611097552301620519noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4632550119396311283.post-74079687150306660382011-05-26T10:32:00.000-07:002011-05-26T10:32:00.198-07:00Microsoft: Windows 8 is NOT due in 2012<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-vP1AzcgsNgI/Td27RXXv_oI/AAAAAAAACn0/egj5im8R00s/s1600/steve_ballmer1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-vP1AzcgsNgI/Td27RXXv_oI/AAAAAAAACn0/egj5im8R00s/s400/steve_ballmer1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />Microsoft issued a retraction of Chief Executive Steve Ballmer's claims this week that Windows 8 would arrive in 2012 on tablets and PCs.<br />The Redmond, Wash., company said Ballmer misspoke and even backed off the next release of its Windows operating system being called Windows 8.<br />In aWednesday email from a company spokeswoman, Microsoft said:<br /><blockquote>It appears there was a misstatement. We are eagerly awaiting the next generation of Windows 7 hardware that will be available in the coming fiscal year. To date, we have yet to formally announce any timing or naming for the next version of Windows.</blockquote>On Monday, at a Microsoft developers conference in Tokyo, Ballmer said Windows 8 (as he called it) would arrive next year on many different devices.<br /><blockquote>We've done a lot in Windows 7 to improve customer satisfaction. We have a brand-new user interface. We've added touch and ink and speech. And yet, as we look forward to the next generation of Windows systems, which will come out next year, there's a whole lot more coming. As we progress through the year, you ought to expect to hear a lot about Windows 8. Windows 8 slates, tablets, PCs, a variety of different form factors.</blockquote>It now seems Ballmer either didn't know what he was talking about, or he spoke too soon.Mesthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14611097552301620519noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4632550119396311283.post-26742351550638422702011-05-25T19:25:00.000-07:002011-05-25T19:25:22.005-07:00NASA sending robotic spacecraft to asteroid in 2016<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-I3ibbIm29qk/Td24_eq0lvI/AAAAAAAACnw/1fe1rgfPjE8/s1600/NASA_Logo.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="340" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-I3ibbIm29qk/Td24_eq0lvI/AAAAAAAACnw/1fe1rgfPjE8/s400/NASA_Logo.gif" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br />In an effort to help scientists discover how life began, NASA announced on Wednesday that it's working to send a robotic spacecraft to an asteroid in 2016.<br /><br />The $800 million mission, which will call on a robot to collect pieces of the asteroid (see NASA illustration), will be the first U.S. mission to carry asteroid samples back to Earth. <br />Expected to launch in 2016, the spacecraft is scheduled to reach the asteroid (dubbed 1999 RQ36) by 2020 and then return to Earth in 2023.<br /><br />"This is a critical step in meeting the objectives outlined by President Obama to extend our reach beyond low-Earth orbit and explore into deep space," said NASA Administrator Charlie Bolden, in a written statement. "It's robotic missions like these that will pave the way for future human space missions to an asteroid and other deep space destinations."<br /><br />"This asteroid is a time capsule from the birth of our solar system and ushers in a new era of planetary exploration," Jim Green, director of NASA's Planetary Science Division, said in a written statement. "The knowledge from the mission also will help us to develop methods to better track the orbits of asteroids."<br /><br />Source: computerworldMesthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14611097552301620519noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4632550119396311283.post-70073093305542799432011-05-24T20:53:00.000-07:002011-05-24T20:55:16.183-07:00TweetDeck being bought by Twitter for More than $40m<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-fMbsPgUVTww/Tdx9DCcXBuI/AAAAAAAACmk/qgcIlITDecg/s1600/TwitterIcon.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-fMbsPgUVTww/Tdx9DCcXBuI/AAAAAAAACmk/qgcIlITDecg/s320/TwitterIcon.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span class="tpk">Twitter</span> is finally buying TweetDeck for more than $40 million in cash and stocks. TweetDeck is a third-party client for the <span class="tpk">Twitter</span> and It is the most popular Twitter application with a 19% market share as of June 2009, following only the official Twitter.com website with 45.70% share for posting new status updates.<br /><br />The purchase isn't official yet and neither of the company has publically spoken about this deal.<br /><br />On Monday night Twitter's PR employee tweeted "For all those who might be curious, we continue to not comment on rumors."<br />Last month, the Wall Street Journal reported that Twitter might buy TweetDeck.<br />A few months ago there was a report that UberMedia, the top developer of apps and Web-based services for Twitter users and other social media platforms, was in chat to acquire Tweetdeck. However, the deal didn't go through.<br />Twitter has known to either downplay third-party apps or purchase them outright.<br />TweetDeck would be an important tool for either service, as it's now one of the most popular clients.Mesthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14611097552301620519noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4632550119396311283.post-89950783979948297932011-05-23T21:55:00.000-07:002011-05-24T19:52:35.801-07:00Modern Warfare 3 - First Trailer<div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="295" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/coiTJbr9m04?fs=1" width="480"></iframe></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">So there you have the<span id="intelliTXT"><b><i style="font-weight: normal;"> first official Modern Warfare 3</i><span style="font-weight: normal;"> trailer, and is here to blow up everything everywhere.</span></b></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span id="intelliTXT">In the trailer, New York gets seriously messed up, with combat helicopters flying at street level. England's underground rail system is going to need a lot<b></b> of repairs. Soldiers in France engage in guerrilla warfare, while entire buildings are brought down in Germany.</span><span id="intelliTXT"><b><span style="font-weight: normal;"> </span></b></span></div>Mesthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14611097552301620519noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4632550119396311283.post-87154007627018904812011-05-23T15:52:00.000-07:002011-05-23T15:52:00.087-07:00The World’s First Desktop Computer Running Google’s Chrome OS<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-1sxrqx4JZUw/TdnqAkNvc-I/AAAAAAAABi8/b27ZM6qWfh4/s1600/22_ChromiumPC+photo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-1sxrqx4JZUw/TdnqAkNvc-I/AAAAAAAABi8/b27ZM6qWfh4/s400/22_ChromiumPC+photo.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">While Google made reference to forthcoming desktops running its Chrome OS at its recent I/O conference, the company provided few specifics. Xi3 has since filled that breach by announcing that its ChromiumPC will be the first desktop to run the operating system when it launches in early July.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div> </div><div style="text-align: justify;">Xi3 had designed a modular architecture for the ChromiumPC, which means that it consists of processor and I/O modules rather than a traditional motherboard. Further, the I/O modules — one for communications ports and the second for other connectivity — are swappable.&nbsp;</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Though few specs are known for the ChromiumPC, it will use an x86-based processor — either single or dual-core — and be released in several color choices. Xi3 says third parties are interested in creating their own modules, and flavors of ChromiumPC running other operating systems will also be available.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><div style="text-align: justify;">Xi3 says it will disclose more information about the ChromiumPC — including, presumably, its price — before the launch date, so we’ll know more for Chrome adherents to decide if they will want to plunk down some money to get a desktop device to run the alternative operating system.</div>Mesthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14611097552301620519noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4632550119396311283.post-78840314395130851182011-05-22T09:56:00.000-07:002011-05-22T09:56:45.173-07:00What's Cloud Computing?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CiLMDnAYNTI/TdlAAR5cMdI/AAAAAAAABes/vHbgN-4ozrw/s1600/images.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="285" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CiLMDnAYNTI/TdlAAR5cMdI/AAAAAAAABes/vHbgN-4ozrw/s400/images.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">In the past, both data and software had to be stored and processed on or near the computer. The development of Local Area Networks allowed for a system in which multiple CPUs and storage devices may be organized to increase the performance of the entire system.&nbsp;</div><div style="text-align: justify;">In an extension to that concept, cloud computing fundamentally allows for a functional separation between the resources used and the user's computer, usually residing outside the local network, for example, in a remote datacenter.<b> </b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Cloud computing refers to the on-demand provision of computational resources (data, software) via a computer network, rather than from a local computer. Users or clients can submit a task, such as word processing, to the service provider, without actually possessing the software or hardware.&nbsp;</div><div style="text-align: justify;">The consumer's computer may contain very little software or data (perhaps a minimal operating system and web browser only), serving as little more than a display terminal connected to the Internet. Since the cloud is the underlying delivery mechanism, cloud based applications and services may support any type of software application or service in use today.</div>Mesthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14611097552301620519noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4632550119396311283.post-32410185195437445332011-05-21T15:54:00.000-07:002011-05-21T15:54:12.666-07:00Angry Birds in Google Chrome<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-T_I3Ix7AWzU/TdhCeb47LuI/AAAAAAAABeo/86mGYsh7Kq0/s1600/angry-birds-chrome.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="303" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-T_I3Ix7AWzU/TdhCeb47LuI/AAAAAAAABeo/86mGYsh7Kq0/s400/angry-birds-chrome.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br />Rovio sent its wildly popular title, Angry Birds, to the Web last week via Google’s Chrome browser. The game has two levels with several stages to play through.<br />The first level features the puzzles from the Angry Birds app, while the second level offers some Chrome-specific challenges and is littered with Chrome logos that give you a bonus when you hit them.<br /><br />The gameplay is the same as with all iterations of Angry Birds, though touchscreen users may appreciate the bit of extra control a mouse offers. You don’t have to use Chrome to play the game. Although it is available in the browser’s Web store, users can find it through <a href="http://www.chrome.angrybirds.com/"> <i>chrome.angrybirds.com</i> </a>. Free for all platforms, though there are paid versions with more levels.Mesthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14611097552301620519noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4632550119396311283.post-87350290188726105732011-05-20T21:58:00.000-07:002011-05-20T21:58:29.238-07:00Internet Protocol version 6 - IPv6<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wG7879ne858/TddGSk5p3SI/AAAAAAAABek/GZyV0CT5q8Y/s1600/ip_address.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wG7879ne858/TddGSk5p3SI/AAAAAAAABek/GZyV0CT5q8Y/s1600/ip_address.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The Internet's growth has created a need for more addresses than IPv4 (the one we're using these days) is capable of. IPv6 allows for vastly more numerical addresses.&nbsp;</div><div style="text-align: justify;">While IPv4 allows 32 bits for an Internet Protocol address, and can therefore support 2<sup>32</sup> (4,294,967,296) addresses, IPv6 uses 128-bit addresses, so the new address space supports 2<sup>128</sup> (approximately 340 undecillion or <span style="white-space: nowrap;">3.4<span style="margin-left: 0.25em; margin-right: 0.15em; white-space: nowrap;">×</span>10<span style="display: inline-block; font-size: 85%; line-height: 1.2em; margin-bottom: -0.3em; text-align: left; vertical-align: 0.8em;">38</span></span>) addresses.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6) is a version of the Internet Protocol (IP) that is designed to succeed Internet Protocol version 4 (IPv4). The Internet operates by transferring data in small packets that are independently routed across networks as specified by an international communications protocol known as the Internet Protocol. Each data packet contains two numeric addresses that are the packet's origin and destination devices.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div>Mesthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14611097552301620519noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4632550119396311283.post-78141575942765450572011-05-19T18:14:00.000-07:002011-05-19T18:14:39.331-07:00Resistance 3 - Gameplay video<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="295" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/d-aWIdz8OMc?fs=1" width="480"></iframe><br /><br />There seems to be new info about Resistance 3, here's the level of The Dark Woods Of PennsylvaniaMesthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14611097552301620519noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4632550119396311283.post-9480239792796283042011-05-18T19:40:00.000-07:002011-05-18T19:44:05.759-07:00Movies: Tron<iframe width="480" height="295" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/L9szn1QQfas?fs=1" frameborder="0" allowFullScreen=""></iframe><br /><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">So, I just saw Tron. It is a sequel to the 1982 film Tron with Jeff Bridges reprising his roles as Kevin Flynn and CLU, while Bruce Boxleitner reprises his roles as Alan Bradley and Tron. Garrett Hedlund portrays Flynn's adult son, Sam.&nbsp;</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">The other cast members include Olivia Wilde, Beau Garrett, Michael Sheen, and James Frain. The film's soundtrack was composed by the electronic music duo Daft Punk. The film grossed over $400 million worldwide.</span>Mesthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14611097552301620519noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4632550119396311283.post-10710862211038981472011-05-17T20:55:00.000-07:002011-05-18T09:34:46.471-07:00Starting a new era<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MKqzONjZXHk/TdNC8BKoHSI/AAAAAAAABeg/LjcBCPzkW3I/s1600/IP.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="282" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MKqzONjZXHk/TdNC8BKoHSI/AAAAAAAABeg/LjcBCPzkW3I/s400/IP.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">Today, we celebrate the Internet day. But I have a little concern, the flow of IP (Internet Protocol) data between locations is nearly ubiquitous.&nbsp;</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Globe Encounters visualizes in real time the volumes of Internet data flowing between New York and cities around the world.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The size of the glow on a particular city location corresponds to the amount of IP traffic flowing between that place and New York City. A greater glow implies a greater IP flow.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">What do you think?</div>Mesthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14611097552301620519noreply@blogger.com0